Machinist&#39;s indicator



Jan. 12, 1943. F. A. REINHARD 2,308,207

MACHINISTS INDICATOR Filed Sept. 12, 1941 Patented Jan. 12, 1943 snares s 2,308,207 MACHINISTS INDICATOR Frank A. Reinhard, Norton, Mass. Application September 12, 1941, Serial No. 410,544

7 6 Claims. (o1; 33-172) This invention relates to machinists indicators particularly adapted for use in aligning work or the like on machine tools, work benches, or else where. Before the work is fully clamped in position for tooling it must be properly and accurately aligned with the cutter or other tool which is to operate thereon so that the machining operation will be accurate. My improved indicator is particularly adapted to perform these functions and the primary object of the invention is to produce a simpler and more economical indicator for this purpose.

vMy improved indicator is of the dial type and comprises-a casing and relatively simple parts all constructed from sheet metal stampings and assembled simply and conveniently. The invention furthermore contemplates simple and novel means for adjusting the indicator for either right or left hand use and means for adjusting the work contactingelement to the most convenient position and for conveniently extending the same in length should such construction be desired. Theproduction of an indicator embodying these and other novel and economical features comprises a further object of the invention.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of my improved indicator,

Fig. 2 is a like view with the cover removed,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1,

Figs. 4 and 5 are plan views of parts illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

My improved indicator is of the dial type and I have illustrated it as embodying a casing having a body portion l and an outwardly extending arm portion I2 integral therewith. The casing is mounted on a post id provided with clamps I and I5 and a nut H for clamping the indicator in working position to a supporting bar I8.

Centrally disposed within the body It] is a pinion fixed to a pin 2! rotatably seated in a hole through the bottom of the casing, an arm 22 and a screw 24 serving to hold the pinion and pin seated in position within the casing. A graduated dial 25 is provided with lugs 26 fitting within corresponding recesses in the body whereby to support the dial thereon. The pin 2| extends upwardly through the dial and has afiixed thereon a pointer 28 cooperating with the dial graduations.

A lever 30 has a toothed segment 32 on one end for cooperating with the pinion 2t and its other end is folded over at 33 in a manner to support both ends of a bushing 34 and frictionally engage opposite faces of a. member 35 pressedonto the bushing. The bushing is adapted to fit rotatably one. post 36 aflixed to the casing at 31. A work engaging pin '38 is seated in the member 35 and is adaptedv to carry thereon a work. engaging element 4H. Either the pin 38 or element 46 can be employed to engage the work.

The sides ofjthe casing are notched toreceive and support thereon a bridging member 42 having pivoted thereto at 44 an element t5 carrying a spring arm 46 When thus seated on the casing the free end of the spring is located between two pins 48 carried by the lever 3i] adjacent to the post 3-5. Two ears 5%) project upwardly from the element 35 at opposite sides of the pivot 44$. A member 52 is seated to slide on the member 42 and is provided with two cams 54 for engaging the ears 50. the member EZ having an operating portion tii'prog ecting upwardly through a slot 56 in the casing cover 5i. When the member 52 is moved to one position a cam ti l engages an ear 5%? and pivots the spring 46 resiliently against one pin 48 (Fig. l) and when it is moved to the other position the spring is resiliently engaged against the other pin 48 The casing cover 57 carries a transparent lens 58 for the dial and is adapted to fit frictionally over the sides of the casing. The entire unit can be easily disassembled merely by removing the cover 51 and then removing each of the several parts all of which are seated for convenient disassembly within the casing. The parts can be assembled in like manner and with equal ease. This feature together with the fact that all the parts are made from simple stock material and are mostly simple stampings provides for production of the indicator at very lost cost.

The use and operation of the indicator are well known in the machinist art. The indicator is clamped to a bar I8 or like support adjacent to the work to be gauged and in such position that the pin 38 or element 40 is brought into contact with the work. The lever 30 is normally moved by the spring arm 46 to either of the two extreme positions indicated in Figs. land 2 and at either of such positions the pointer is at the 0 graduation. Contact of the work laterally with the element 40 is adapted to move the lever 30 and the pointer 28 and each unit of graduation commonly represents /1000 inch movement of the element 40. The frictional mounting of the member 335 permits pivotal adjustment of the element 40 to the most convenient position for contacting the work. In case finer measurements are desired the leverage of the pin 30 can be lengthened by employing an element 40' longer than the element 40. Shifting of the member 52 to its two positions (Figs. 1 and 2) is adapted to pivot the member 45 in opposite directions and hold the spring arm 46 in either of its two positions as will be understood.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is,

1. A machinists indicator, comprising a casing having a main chamber and a channel extending outwardly therefrom, a graduated dial and a cooperating pointer in the chamber, a member pivoted to the casing at the outer end of the channel and carrying a work contacting element extending outwardly beyond the casing, a metal sheet folded U-shaped about and frictionally engaging the member, the member and -U-sheet being pivotally movable as a unit and the frictional engagement permitting relative pivotal adjustment thereof, and a lever affixed to the U-sheet and extending therefrom through the channel to the chamber and cooperating with the pointer in such manner that pivotal movement thereof with the U-sheet and member correspondingly moves the pointer.

2. The indicator defined in claim 1 in which the lever and U-sheet are an integral piece having one end portion encompassing and frictionally engaging the pivoted member and the other end cooperating with the pointer.

3. An indicator comprising a pressed sheet metal casing having integral bottom and side walls, a pressed sheet metal cover for the casing, the top edge of the side wall having open notches disposed thereabout, a graduated dial in the easing having lugs seated in the notches, a shaft disposed in the casing centrally of the dial and having a pointer on its top end cooperating with the dial graduations, a pinion fixed to the bottom end of the shaft, a bracket secured to the bottom wall of the casing and cooperating with the bottom wall rotatably to support the shaft and confine the pinion between the bottom wall and bracket, a toothed segment cooperating with the pinion, and a transparent crystal carried by the cover over the dial.

- operating pointer in the chamber, a member pivoted to the casing at the outer end of the channel and having two spaced abutments located in the channel between the chamber and the pivotal axis of the member, a lever aflixed to'the member and extending therefrom through the channel to the chamber and cooperating with the pointer in such manner that pivotal movement thereof correspondingly moves the pointer, a Work contacting element carried by the member and extending outwardly therefrom beyond the casing, a member having a base pivotally supported on the casing adjacent to the chamber and a spring arm extending through the channelto a position between said abutments, and a slidably mounted cam member cooperating with said base and adapted upon movement in one direction to one position to pivot the arm against one abutment and upon movementin the opposite direction to pivot the arm to another position against the other abutment.

5. The indicator defined in claim 4 plus a bridge resting on the side walls of the casing and extending across the channel and pivotally supporting said base, said cam member being mounted on the bridge and having two cam portions adapted to cooperate with the base to pivot and hold the base member and arm in opposite directions respectively. n

6. The indicator defined in claim 4 in which the casing is of pressed sheet metal and comprises a body portion providing the main chamher and channel therein and a removable cover on the casing commensurate with and disposed over the main chamber and channel, and a bridge resting on the side walls of the casing and extending across the channel and pivotally supporting said base, said cam member being mounted on the bridge and movable in opposite directions to position the arm against one or the other of said abutments, the cover having a transversely extending slot therethrough and the cam memher having a manipulating portion extending through the slot to the exterior of the casing.

FRANK A. REINHARD. 

